Who at your business has the organizational knowledge to keep your technology up and running? The problem with small business IT is that the information on how to keep that technology in proper working order is siloed in one particular individual’s head, whether that’s you as the business owner or one particularly tech-savvy person on your staff. By allowing this information to remain undocumented, you’re actively putting your business at risk by artificially creating a single point of failure.
Sometimes, it can seem that business technology is a bit like the weather—just wait five minutes, and it’ll change. However, for a small business, those changes can sometimes feel less like a refreshing breeze and more like a localized thunderstorm inside your server room. Of course, when you’re busy running a business, you shouldn’t have to be an amateur sleuth to figure out why your Wi-Fi is acting up. Here are a few common technology oddities your team might encounter, along with how a proactive partner keeps the “glitches” at bay.
If you think your business is immune to the dangers of cybersecurity attacks, think again. Cybercriminals don’t discriminate, and they’ll attack you just as readily as a larger enterprise simply due to your weaker network security. If you want to keep your business from suffering a cybersecurity attack needlessly, we’ve got just the thing for you.
Most stories you consume will follow the format of introduction, rising action, conflict, falling action, and resolution. The tense parts of the story, the rising action and conflict, are what drive it forward, and they’re also what make things interesting along the way. That said, you can’t run your business like a story, and you can’t run your IT in this way either.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that IT is more of a cost than a savings mechanism. But in reality, IT is a powerful tool that can help your business eliminate unnecessary expenses, improve operations, and stop problems in their tracks before they even exist. This approach, proactive IT, has many benefits, all of which save you money.
This time of year is rife with traditions, from the foods we eat to the rituals we follow… even the songs we sing. We wanted to share a little reworking of a classic carol that exemplifies our commitment to the businesses we work with in the spirit of the season.
You’ve locked down your network with cybersecurity—but what about the risks right outside your door? Physical security breaches are a serious threat to your employees, data, and critical equipment. For any small business owner, addressing this issue isn’t just good practice—it’s a necessity for true peace of mind.
Let’s imagine that your business has a hidden back door—one that your building manager doesn’t even know exists—and that door leads straight into the heart of your office. By the time someone finds out that door exists, someone could have snuck in to wreak all kinds of havoc, unbeknownst to you. This is what is known as a zero-day threat; it’s a security vulnerability that is being actively exploited in the wild, one that was previously unknown to the vendor and unpatched against, and it’s a serious problem for any SMB.
Imagine that your screen flashes a devastating message: your critical data is encrypted, and you face a massive ransom demand. Your operation grinds to a halt. This isn’t just an enterprise problem; it’s the harsh reality for businesses of all sizes. Cyber threats don’t discriminate. Your small or mid-sized business is a prime target.
Open your Profit & Loss statement. I’m willing to bet that the IT line is sitting squarely in the expense column, right next to rent, electricity, and paper towels. For many business owners, IT is seen as a necessary evil; a cost center, a black hole they just have to throw money into. When you see a technology bill, you get that double-take and cringe. Your primary goal is to minimize this cost; often to the point of avoidance.